Recoilless rifle



April 3, 1962 C W. MUSSER RECOILLESS RIFLE Filed Jan. 22, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 3

INVENTOH. C WALTON MUSSER ATTORNEYS April 1962 c w. MUSSER 3,027,809

RECOILLESS RIFLE Filed Jan. 22, 1960 H 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 UL Lilia =2 5 I I \A-A LL m20 Fig.5

INVENTOR. C WALTON MUSSER ATTORNEY} April 1962 c w. MUSSER 3,027,809

RECOILLESS RIFLE Filed Jan. 22, 1960 s sheets-sheet 3 I I WWII/IA FIG. 8.

INVENTOR. C WALTON MUSSER BY z mmo QJ. Q WMJ9M ATTORNEYS United States Patent 1 Claim. (Cl. 891.7) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to recoilless rifles and more especially to features which insure greater safety in the operation of guns of the type disclosed by United States Patent 2,741,160 granted to C W. Musser on April 10, 1956 for Heavy Caliber Recoilless Gun.

In the operation of guns of this general type, it is desirable that the safety position of the breech block be positively located and that auxiliary means be provided to fire the gun in case of injury to the main firing mechanism. In accordance with the present invention, the breech operating handle is arranged above or below the breech of the gun and is so designed that it is automatically locked when moved into its safety and closed positions. A further feature is the provision of a trigger which is arranged to be activated either by the usual firing mechanism or by an auxiliary firing mechanism mounted in a protected location such as under a carrying handle of the gun.

The invention will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings and its scope is indicated by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates the breech block operating handle in its safety position and above the breech of the gun,

FIG. 2 shows the breech block operating handle in its closed position and above the breech of the gun,

FIG. 3 illustrates the breech operating handle as located below the breech of the gun,

FIG. 4 indicates the details of the breech block operating handle,

FIG. 5 shows the relation between the main and auxiliary firing mechanisms,

FIG. 6 indicates the-relation between the trigger and these mechanisms, and

FIGS. 7 and 8 show various details of the coupling between the hinge block and the operating handle.

FIG. 1 shows a gun breech including a chamber casing 10, a reliner 11 and a breech block 12 which is mounted on a bar 13. The bar 13 is hinged at its left-hand end to the casing by a hinge block 14 having grooves 15 and 16 on its upper surface and grooves 17 and 18 on its lower surface. Rotation of the bar 13 about the hinge 14 is effected by means of a handle 19 bearing a tang 20 arranged to engage the slots 15 and 16 or the slots 17 and 18 depending on whether the handle is in the positions indicated by FIGS. 1 and 2 or in the position indicated by FIG. 3.

As disclosed in the aforesaid patent, there is mounted within the hinge block 14 a cam plate to which linear movement is imparted by rotation of the handle 19, this movement being effected by means of a dog mounted within the hinge block 14. When thus moved, the cam plate functions to engage and disengage the sear from the trigger, to cock the firing pin, to extract the cartridge case and to unscrew the breech block 12 from the reliner 11. Since these various features are disclosed in the aforesaid patent and well known to those skilled in the art, they are not illustrated or described in detail.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are similar to FIGS. 6 and 34 of the 3,927,809 Patented Apr. 3, 1962 aforesaid patent and are included herein to indicate how the shaft of the handle 19 is releasably attached to the hinge block 14 and the hinge bar 13. As can be seen from these figures, the hinge block is bolted to the rear of the chamber 10 by means of screws 34 to 39. Once assembled as indicated by these figures, the shaft of the handle 19 is held against axial movement by screws 38 and 39 which fit into slots 40 and 41 and is held against rotation with respect to the hinge bar by a key 42. The screws 38 and 39 are readily removed to allow the handle to be moved from the top to the bottom of the hinge block or vice versa.

In one respect, the present invention relates more particularly to the arrangement of the handle 19. It can be seen that this handle has a tang 20 adapted to mate with the groove 15 or 16 when the handle is in the positions illustrated by FIGS. 1 and 2, or to mate with the groove 17 or 18 when the handle is in the position indicated by FIG. 3. When the tang 20 is in the slot 15 or 17, the handle 19 is locked in its safe position so that the sear is altogether disengaged from the trigger and the gun cannot be fired. When the tang 20 is in the slot 16 or 18, the handle 19 is locked in its fire position.

The structure of the handle 19 is shown more particularly in FIG. 4 from which it is seen that the handle is pivoted about a pin 22 so that the tang 20 is forced into the previously mentioned slots 15 to 18 by a strong spring 21. The tang 20 is L-shaped, is maintained in a slot 22 by means of a pin 31 arranged to move in a groove 33. When the handle 19 is depressed, it operates through the pin 31 to raise the tang 30 out of the slot. When the handle is released, the spring 21 operates through a ball 30 to force the tang in the opposite direction. With this arrangement, the handle 19 has a positive stop at the safe position. In order to move the handle from this position, it is necessary to depress the handle about one inch. The arrangement permitting insertion of the operating handle from either side of the hinge block permits operation of the rifle in places where the rifle would normally to too high to be operated with the handle on the top. Having the handle in the lower position also decreases the likelihood of tree branches damaging any of the mechanism while the gun is mounted on a vehicle moving through heavy foliage.

Under these and other conditions the main firing mechanism is subject to the likelihood of damage. This mechanism operates through a lanyard 23 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) to activate a trigger 24- which is pivoted about a pin 25, is biased to its illustrated cocked position by a spring 26 and has at its opposite end a groove into which a tang on the end of the sear fits when the breech block is in its closed position.

In order to permit firing of the gun when the main firing mechanism is inoperative, the trigger 24 is provided with a recess 27 arranged to cooperate with a rod 28 for actuating the trigger to fire the gun. It will be noted that the handle to this rod is located adjacent the trigger and under a carrying handle 29 of the gun where it is least exposed to danger of injury.

The present invention thus assures that the breech block operating handle is positively locked in its safe position, permits mounting of this handle above or below the breech of the gun, and provides a well protected auxiliary firing means for use in case of injury to the main firing mechanism.

I claim:

A recoilless rifle including means forming a chamber with a rear opening, means including a breech block movable to one position for closing said opening and to another position for opening said opening, a hinge bar for supporting said breech block, a hinge block fixed to said chamber and having on its upper and lower surfaces spaced a 3 am grooves definitive of said positions, and an operating handle having a shaft pivoted in said hinge block and releasably attached to said bar, said handle being pivoted to said shaft and having means including a tang biased to engage said grooves in the released position of said handle and to be disengaged from said grooves in another position of said handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Henry et al. Mar. 19, 1878 Lavigne July 31, 1888 Fordyce Aug. 2, 1921 Summerbell et a1 Apr. 18, 1950 Musser Apr. 10, 1956 

